Thursday, June 02, 2005

BRIEF SPORTS INTERLUDE

San Francisco 49ers owner John York apologizes for that "media relations" video that was leaked to the SF Chronicle:

The 49ers' owners, John York and Denise DeBartolo York, apologized Wednesday for a players' orientation video that contained racist and sexist material. At the same time, players defended the video's star and producer, team public relations director Kirk Reynolds.

"The video was offensive in every manner,'' the Yorks said in a statement. "We regret that anyone from our organization would produce such senseless, inexcusable behavior. ... Policies are being put in place to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

The training video showed Reynolds, posing as the mayor of San Francisco, cavorting with topless dancers when the topic of dealing with women in the locker room is broached, spoofing gay marriage, and talking with a man in Chinatown who spoke in an exaggerated accent while wearing glasses and buck teeth.

Offensive and classless? Of course. But, speaking as a devoted fan who bleeds red and gold, there are a lot of other things John had better start regretting, such as getting rid of the following people:

And even...

Many of my favorite early sports memories involve the boys of Candlestick. Montana to Taylor in Super Bowl XXIII. Montana to just about everybody in Super Bowl XXIV. Steve Young to just about everybody in Super Bowl XXIX. Even Young to Owens against the Packers in 99, and the comeback against the Giants in 2003. York had something going, and then he thought "say, I should get rid of my coach because he doesn't get along with my star player (even though I'll get rid of my star player one year later!), and replace him with a guy who took the best talent the team had since 1997 and went 7-9 with it!"